Before Belle
by dirty-icing
Summary: Two people living in Storybrooke. One remembers everything, and the other remembers nothing. He thought she was dead, and now she works in his shop because dear old Regina just loves for people to suffer.
1. price

**Before Belle**

**chapter one: Price**

**Summary- **Two people living in Storybrooke. One remembers everything, and the other remembers nothing. He thought she was dead, and now she works in his shop because dear old Regina just loves people to suffer.

A couple of weeks a ago I just fell in love with Once Upon a Time. I thought it was going to be a dumb show, but I finally gave in a watched the whole first season in three days. I can't even tell you how much I love this show.**  
**

But anyway, the character I fell in love with Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold. In every episode he's in, he makes me laugh so much. I really like Belle, but at the same time I don't.

I just thought I would through out this idea. I hope all enjoy.

Sadly I don't own Once Upon a Time or anything affiliated with the show. I only own Claudia Black and her counter part Alice Greene and any other characters I come up with.

* * *

"Hey Ruby. The usual please." I sat down at the counter next to Mary Margaret. It was 30 minutes till her class started and she hurrying to finish her breakfast.

"I'll have that up in two minutes," Ruby said as she bounced over to put in my order.

"Pleas don't choke M&M. I don't wanna have to do the Heimlich on you." Mary waved a hand my way.

"I'll be fine," she said hiding her mouth full of food. "I have to be in class early." She swallowed the large amount of food. "We're working on our life-size drawings today and I need to have everything ready, and before that I have to stop by at the hospital. "

"You should loosen up a bit Mary. At least open your cardigan a bit. I think it's keeping its hold on you."

"What's wrong with the way I dress," she said sipping on her orange juice.

"Nothing, nothing," I said as Ruby sat a plate of french toast with powder and syrup. "Thanks. Did you hear about that new girl in town?"

"She seems real nice." I looked at Mary Margaret as I was about to take my first bite of the french toast.

"You've...met her?" She nodded. Her short hair barely moved out of place.

"Yeah, I'm letting her stay over at my place after I posted her bail." My eyes almost flew out of my head.

"Wow M&M. I take back what I said about loosing up."

"Well, it's not as bad as working with Mr. Gold." I rolled my eyes at her.

"He's not that bad. He's just...Mr. Gold." I took another bite of the delicious french toast.

"Alice, he's the town's most feared person."

"Mary, we've already had this conversation," I said wagging my finger at her. "If he was 'bad' as everyone says, I would probably be in different pieces buried all over the forest."

"Alice! Don't say that" Mary hopped off the stool and straightened her clothes. "Anyway. I was thinking you could come over for a bit and maybe meet Emma." I raised my eyebrow at her. "Emma is her name."

"Yeah sure, sure. If she's staying with you she might as well stay for good. Might as well get to know her. She does have a background, I mean coming all the way here to bring back Henry. Her son!"

"I try not to pry. Well, I'll see you later then. Bye." I waved at her till she walked out the door.

"Jeez Ruby. Pull down your skirt. I don't feel like seeing your who-ha right now." She scoffed as she wiped down the counter.

"You know you wouldn't mind."

"Maybe, if I was a man and drunk," I said taking another bite.

"Whatever," she said smiling. I shook my head at her and smiled.

* * *

Mr. Gold's shop wasn't too far of a walk. Today I was extra tired. I didn't really feel like going to work today. Knowing Gold, I would never hear the end of it. Not to mention I was late today. I opened the door and heard the little jingle the bell made.

"Hello, I know I'm late. I don't need you to tell me that." There wasn't an answer. "Hello?" I walked over to where the old cash register was sitting. There was a not with my name on it. I picked it up and read.

_Had a little business to take care of. I trust that you'll keep things in order. -Gold_

Hmm. Did he really leave the door unlocked? Then again. Who would really be dumb enough to steal from him? I sat in the same grey chair I always sat in. There was at least five people who did come in. Miss Ginger always came in everyday asking if there was anything new. Once in a while there would be something, but then she'd only stare at it for a while and leave. That woman was odd.

A couple of hours went by and no one had show up, so I decided to do a little dusting. All this stuff just sits here and collects dust. I wouldn't dare go over and dust those puppets though. I had never liked dolls or puppets or anything that resembled a person. I've never had a doll in my life, like any normal little girl did. My sister, she loved Dolls and always would try to freak me out with one.

The bell of the shop rang. I looked up to see who it was.

"Business, huh? Looks like you just came from a fight."

"Now what would I look like fighting with the everyday people of Storybrooke," Gold said limping a little harder than usual over to me.

"Do you really want me to answer that? Oh and I wanted to talk to you about a raise." I went back to dusting a couple of books that was beginning to grow a think layer of dust.

"Ah, I see. And were we late today?" He stood only two feet away from me. He held his cane with both hands in front of him.

"Umm, no. Okay, well I wasn't that late. Only ten minutes. I'm sure I didn't miss anybody"

"You don't know that unless you were here."

"Then maybe you should have waited for me to get here before you left on... business. Please Mr. Gold. I really need this raise. A raise to held pay for rent." The look on his face made it seem like he was trying to hide a smirk.

"Alright, dearie. I'll be willing to help you out, but for a price of course." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"And what _price _would that be." He came a little closer to me. I could feel his mint breath glide across my lips.

"I think you know what price."

* * *

End of chapter one. Just a little taste of what's to come. Not that long, but I hope to make up for it in the next chapter.

Next chapter: Good Samaritan

Claudia Black stumbles across a badly hurt man lying on the ground who she rescues. The man hesitantly is thankful and tells her his name:Rumplestiltskin. Back in Storybrooke Alice meets Emma for the first time and instantly hits off on a new friendship.


	2. Good Samaritan

**Before Belle**

**chapter two: Good Samaritan**

Sorry guys it took me so long to update. I still want to continue with this story, so you wont have to worry about me letting this one go.

We have a new race of characters, the Elves. But they are not the Elves you think you know. They come in different shapes and sizes, not all of them are beautiful. They mostly run business and fight with each other to win money from the betting polls. The elves do not like to mix with other races and types of creatures. They are greedy and most of the time unfriendly. Everyone in Fairytale Land has been warned not to cross paths with them from different stories and myths.

once again, I only own Claudia Black and her counter part Alice Greene and any other characters I come up with.

* * *

It was cold and dark outside. Winter was fast approaching. I was never found with the winter. Autumn was my time of the year. The changing of the leaves always fascinated me. Almost all the trees were bare. I wondered if they missed their leaves? I know I would.

I shivered through my deep purple hood. I hope it wouldn't be a harsh winter like last year's. I couldn't bear to leave the house, but of course I had too. My family half depended on me to bring in the income from the fights. Aside from dad's business, I needed to go and to whatever task that came my way. The fights were something just about every Elf family participated in. It was harder if you didn't have a son. Not many would put their daughter's up to fight, but I was different.

Just because I was a woman didn't mean I wouldn't try. To everyone's surprise I was a natural fighter. I won most of my fights. Wether it was animals, an ogre or two, mortals, other Elves. Speaking of Ogres, there was a battle not too long ago. Three days ago to be exact. I heard that everyone died in this latest battle. The Ogres were really making a mess of things in this land. Us Elves try to stay out of this kind of business. We're not exactly the kind to get mixed in with the helping of others. Especially with mortal kind.

The younger generation usually stay away from the mortals because of tradition or because their parents tell them to. I, myself haven't been in contact with a mortal unless I was fighting them. Those fights usually ended pretty quickly.

The wind blew a little harder. There was a small Inn up head. I had been there many times before. Ran by a 1,000 year old Elf Couple. They were nice when they wanted to be. I squinted my eyes a little. There was a black lump on the side of the road. There were horse hooves embedded in the ground. I wondered if the people riding the horses had left the lump there. I walked closer to it and my eyes widened.

It was a person, a man! He was lying with his back turned to me. He wore old, dark brown clothes. extremely dirty. Was that blood? He was a human, I could tell. I could hear his soft breathing. Should I stop and help this man, or keep going? No one I knew wouldn't dare to help him. But this poor man would probably die out in this cold weather. I sighed as I sank to my knees and rolled him over so I could inspect him further.

I felt this tight knot in the pit of my stomach. I don't know what it was, but I just felt drawn to this man. His face looked to hold many stories. He didn't move or flinch as I moved closer to check how weak his heart was. His heart beat was very slow and a very low sounding thump. I decided to take him to the Inn down the road. Luckily the couple that owned it let human kind stay there.

It wasn't that much of a struggle to pick him up. I'm sure to anyone it would look odd to see a woman carrying a wounded man. The walk to the Inn didn't take much time. It was way into the night and not many people were walking around. A few that were seated at a table by the door looked up as I walked in, but I didn't pay them much attention.

"Victoria," I called out. She and my parents were pretty close. My mother grew up with Victoria and so did my father. She was the reason my parents met.

She looked up and looked at me with wide eyes.

"What happened," she asked rushing over to me. I shifted my weight so the man wouldn't slip from my grasp.

"I'm not sure. I just found in lying on the ground."

"Bring him to the back." She pushed me forward into the back room that was used many different purposes. There was a bed in the corner that looked like it hadn't been used in a long time. There was a small table next to it with a candle sitting pretty in the center. Victoria waved her hand over the candle. The light flickered making the whole room seem bright. Not all Elves could conjure up magic, but we all were immune to most of it. I only practiced some of my magic. It wasn't as strong as most, but what I did have helped just as much.

"Lay him here. I'll be back." I laid the man gently on the bed. His face muscles twitched. I sat down beside him. For some reason he really held my interest. I didn't know what it was. Was I attracted to him? I shook my head. I promised myself I wouldn't show any interest in any male companion after what had happen. I never wanted to feel the way I had felt after my first so called love. That was almost 50 years ago.

"Has he said anything," Victoria asked rushing over with different bottles of liquids and a couple of cloths.

"No, but he has moved some." I moved away from the bed to let Victoria check him over.

"I'm going to need your help." I nodded as I took off my cloak and set it on a chair. "Oh, this is not good."

"What isn't," I asked walking over. She had her hands on his leg.

"His leg is broken, badly. Now, I can fix it right up, but I'm afraid after it heals it wont be the same."

"How long will it take for his leg to heal?"

"With the magic I know it wont take long heal, but with magic it still wont fix everything." With that she went straight to work. I helped her remove most of his worn and torn clothes. His body had many bruises and small wounds that were in need of cleaning from the blood that had dried over. I brought her some water to help clean him before she would set his leg and work her magic so to speak.

When she was ready to set his leg, I held him down just in case he woke up. He had stirred a bit more since. Once I think he was trying to say something. His lips moved slightly and formed a word, but no sound came out.

"Ready?"

"Ready," I said nodding. Victoria placed her hands on his leg. I had seen many broken limbs in my time, some of them caused by me or someone giving me a broken limb in return. In one smooth movement, Victoria twisted his leg giving one loud crack. The man's eyes shot open and he let out a painful gasp. I held him down as he tried to wiggle into a ball.

"Hey, hey. It's okay," I whispered. He gave out another cry before his body went limp.

"Well that went better than expected," said Victoria as she dipped her hands into a bowl that had blue liquid. She whispered something under her breath. Her set her hands onto his now set leg and closed her eyes. Her hands glowed a pinkish color as her fingers danced around the broken bone.

"There. All that's left is for him to rest. The bone should be all the way healed by tomorrow evening. But he needs to stay off of it till then or I will have to repeat the process."

"Thank you. I'll just stay in here in case he wakes up soon."

"I'll bring you some food. You must be hungry after your victory." I gave a slight chuckle.

"Word travels fast."

"I hear you'll be paid handsomely. Too bad about all the people that died from them Ogres."

"If only I had gotten there earlier," I said giving out an aggravated sigh.

"As long as those Ogres are gone." Victoria set a hand on my shoulder. I felt some of her comforting energy run through me like a much needed sleep. I didn't feel tense anymore and felt more at ease.

"For the most part," I whispered.

"I'll be back, dear. Do you mind putting all this stuff away."

"Nope." I watched as she left the room with her bottle of liquids. I got up and picked up the bucket of water and went to go pour it out. I came back into the room to see the man wiggling around. His were still closed. I walked over and placed both hands on his bare chest. I closed my eyes as I let my energy rush out of my hands and let it rush over him to help him be at peace with his body.

I opened my eyes slowly, and smiled on the inside. When my eyes were open fully,they were staring into the eyes of the man. I took my hands away quickly and let out an awkward laugh.

"Um, hello." His eyes were wide with fear or wonder. I couldn't really tell. I was never good at reading people.

"You...you're an elf?" His voice sounded a little rugged.

"I see your more concerned about me being an elf then what you just went through." He tore his eyes away from me slowly and looked down at himself. I watched as his eyes landed on his leg. He looked back at me quickly.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to chop you up and make you into stew or whatever you humans may think we do." I sat down in the chair that was close to the bed. "What happened out there? I found you face down on the ground." The man looked around the room a bit before his eyes landed back on me.

"The war. What happened to everyone," he asked in a small voice. I looked down at the ground before I answered.

"Everyone was killed." My eyes shifted back to him. "Were you in that war?" He nodded before he laid back down and covered his face with his hands. I heard a small cry slip from his lips. It was low, but I could hear it plainly.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. You're alive." I scooted a little closer to the bed. He removed his hands. His eyes were wet, but there weren't any tears streaming down his face.

"I...I ran away. Why did I run? I could have stayed and died with my fellows. Some of my friends. Think of me as a coward if you wish. Everyone else seems to think so." I tilted my head to the side.

"No, I do not think of you as a coward. From what I hear they make you leave your families to fight. No, I wont call you a coward from leaving this horrible fight. You do have a family, right?"

"A wife and an unborn child." My heart dropped a little. I hit myself mentally. Get it together, Claudia. You don't even know him.

"Then she surely should be happy you have returned. Even given your new title. Which I don't think you deserve."

"Thank you. You are kind from what I have been told." He wiped his eyes with one hand and stared at the wall.

"What is your name?" He hesitated before he answered.

"Ru...Rumpelstiltskin."

* * *

finally done with this one. Hope you liked it. I'm really tired and hope there aren't that many mistakes. I'll try to have the 3rd chapter up by next week. I was going to have Alive meet Emma in this chapter, but decided to save that for next chapter.

thank you to those of you that have reviewed, and to those who are reading.


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